I hope everyone has recovered from celebrating Pride Month! I look forward to writing this message ‘cause it’s all about Pride and thanking the many people who give of themselves to make the Dykes on Bikes® happen! On June 15, Zach, Raven and I headed down to the San Jose Gay Pride Parade, where we met up with Sheila (SFDOBWMC) and Liz (BAWR) and other motorcycle riders. This year there were only about 15 or so bikes compared to about 30 last year. Not only were the numbers of Dykes on Bikes® down, but so was parade attendance—drastically so! For an area as populous as San Jose and Santa Clara County, the attendance at the parade was a huge disappointment. Where’s your pride people! The parade route was changed so that it felt like we took side streets to the festival and the parade started a half hour earlier than last year. There were also a few religious zealots that turned up to tell us we’re all going to hell—as if I didn’t know that already. A few of the Harley riders drowned them out. After the two minute San Jose Parade ride, Zach, Raven, Liz, Sheila and I took off for breakfast. Our first choice was jammed (oops, forgot it was also Father’s Day), so Sheila led us to another place—also hopping. After a bit of a wait, we were finally seated. Breakfast was now lunch. Once we finished eating, I lead a ride out to Almaden, where Sheila said goodbye, then our group headed over to Saratoga, where Liz headed home, and Zach, Raven and I headed up Hwy 9 to 35, where we stopped at a pullout and watched the Highway Patrol pick off the speed bikers. From there, we headed north on 35, stopping at 35/84 for a pit/water stop and to say our goodbyes. Zach and Raven followed me to 92 and they headed east and I headed north on 280. We had absolutely gorgeous weather for the ride. On June 26, there was a Dykes on Bikes® reception at the GLBT Historical Society. Again, I got to meet a number of people who came to see the Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront We fought for it. We earned it. We own it. Closing day is this coming July 12. I will be part of a panel discussing the trademark case that afternoon. Come on down and see the exhibit before it closes! I want to thank everyone who came to the SF Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent’s (SFDOBWMC) annual pre-pride parade party at the Eagle Tavern on Saturday, June 28. Every year we throw a party the Saturday before the Parade and this year was extra-special for the SFDOBWMC for two reasons: 1) We celebrated the end of a 4-year long struggle to trademark Dykes on Bikes®! and 2) We celebrated 30 years at the forefront—leading off the LGBT Pride Parade! Please see the photos at our Events Page. Someone got a photo of the cake, but they haven’t sent it to me! As part of our celebration, the organizing members presented Max, our web designer, with a trophy featuring a motorcycle, for all of her work on the website this past year. Also, the Dykes on Bikes® presented certificates of appreciation to Shannon Minter, of National Center for Lesbian Rights, and to Greg Gilchrist, Gia Cincone and Raquel Pacheco (who was not able to attend), of Townsend and Townsend and Crew, for all of their work on the Dykes on Bikes® trademark case. In addition, the SFDOBWMC presented a plaque bearing our club patch to our attorney, Brooke Oliver, of Oliver, Kattwinkel & Sabec P.C., for all of her work on our trademark case and for bringing in the NCLR and Townsend and Townsend and Crew when the Trademark office ruled against us, and against us and against us. Without her spirit and support for our cause, the SFDOBWMC would not have been able to sustain a 4 year battle to trademark Dykes on Bikes® and protect this vital symbol of pride from being used in other contexts. At the party on Saturday, Kyra Gordon and the Tender Morsels rocked the house all afternoon! Great music! Great vibe! Great party! I want to thank the businesses that donated raffle prizes: MotoJava, Leather Etc., Tangerine and Virgin America Airlines . By the way, I sold the winning raffle ticket for the two round trip tickets on Virgin America. <g> Many organizations approach these businesses for donations throughout the year and we are honored they support the SFDOBWMC—a dyke club! Please check out our Sponsor’s Page for links to these businesses. I encourage all of you to reciprocate their support by patronizing these businesses. I also want to thank Eleanor for getting the food, Katie for selling raffle tickets, Sandie and Lisa for selling merchandise, Sandy for selling the Virgin America raffle tickets and designing flyers, Soni for pre-registering riders, and Ren for donating the betty/buddy/bitch sit on her bike as one of the raffle prizes. In addition, I want to thank the door volunteers and those who helped serve food. There were also friends who just pitched in whenever we needed some extra help. Thank you! By all accounts, everyone had a great time! On June 29, for the 30th year at the forefront, the Dykes on Bikes® roared down Market St. to the cheers of the crowd. It is such an incredible thrill to line-up ~400 bikes (back in 1983, the contingent was only a ½ block long!) on Market St., to hear the bike engines rev and horns blare; to see the smiles on such a diverse crowd of dyke (and men/kindred spirits!) faces as we ride down Market St. I hope all of you enjoyed the ride as much as I, and the other organizing members of the SFDOBWMC did! I loved seeing all of the wedding outfits! The Scooter Girls, once again, out did themselves with their outfits. Leading the parade this year was Eleanor and Sandy, winners of the pace bike drawing. To be eligible for pace bike, you must attend more than one half of the meetings in a year (our year starts July 1). In June, all eligible names go into a helmet, and two pace bikes are selected along with two alternates. This year we had two special guests: Chris, was on the back of Sheila’s bike. She was the lucky recipient of Jane’s winning auction bid back in May and Jillian, who was on the back of Ren’s bike as the raffle winner at our Saturday party. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped pull off the ride. Many of the volunteers on Parade Day are not organizing members of the SFDOBWMC. They are people who volunteer to help and be a part of something incredible! First, I would like to thank the registration co-chairs Sandy and Sheila and their crew: Beth, Darcie, Dora, Eryn, Ginny, Jazmin, Jennifer, Julie, Lisa D, Michele, Nicole, RL, Sara, Teresa, and Valarie. They have the job of checking off names of those who are pre-registered, registering those who did not pre-register and giving everyone the correct line up number that tells the line up crew where they are supposed to be. So, next on my list of ‘thank you’s’ is line-up. A big thank you to line-up co-chairs, Katie and Rose. The two of you did an outstanding job. A special thanks to Paige, who as one of our newer members, not only worked line-up, but this was also her very first parade! To the line up crew: Erin, Kelly W, Renate, Kathy, Raven, and Rosangelo, my heartfelt gratitude. You have the task of lining up about 400 bikes in less than two hours! Next, on my list of ‘thank you’s; are the Road Captains, most of who saw double duty as line-up volunteers. Road Captains are the ones who ride alongside the contingent, ensuring parade rules are followed. In addition, they have to be ready to respond to any emergency that may arise during the ride down Market St. To the Road Captains: Julie, Joanne, Susan, Lori, Michael, Marc, Glenne, Calli, Liz S, Zach, Karen, Pat, Kate W, Anthony, Debi, Durga, Jennel, PJ, Sabine, Tymber, Lisa F, Terry, Viviana, Kary, Kath, and Tweave—THANK YOU. Without you, there would not be a Women’s Motorcycle Contingent! Once again, a big ‘thank you’ to Ann and the helmet truck crew! Also, thank you to Chase for driving the van that carried our gear. I offer my sincerest apologies to those who I may have inadvertently missed. If you have photos that you would like to share, contact Max at webdesigner@dykesonbikes.org. One photo I received was of me and my mom (it’s at the top of this message). The photo was taken by Mr. Marcus of the BAR. I was stopped in front of the grandstand watching the riders go by in my mirror. This is my mom’s 7th year riding with me and I almost thought we weren’t going to make it! Just before the start of the parade, she was getting on the back of my bike and was having trouble lifting her legs to put them on the pegs. She’s 72 years old. I had to reach down and grab her pant leg and pull her legs up to the pegs! I just might have to get a step stool for her next year! July 10, Scuderia West (69 Duboce near Valencia St) is inviting all female riders to a ‘Women’s Riding Essentials Program’ from 6 – 8 PM. Jody Perewitz and Nicole Hoffman will be discussing routine maintenance, riding gear, available resources, and safety tips. There will be refreshments and door prizes. Scuderia West is also giving a 10 percent discount on all women’s gear. The next SFDOBWMC meeting is July18. From now through November, the SFDOBWMC will be meeting only on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The meeting location has also changed. We will be meeting at the Castro Country Club in the Castro at 4058 18th St. at 7:30 PM. The meeting will be a debriefing session on the Parade, so if you have any comments or questions, please email them to president@dykesonbikes.org. On July 26, the SFDOBWMC is hosting a ‘French Film Ride.’ All women (used in the inclusive sense of the word) riders are invited to join the SFDOBWMC for an ride in San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge to the lookout and back, as part of a documentary being made by a couple of French Film directors. Come out and ride and be a part of a film! Meet at Spikes Coffee on 19th St and Castro at 11:00 AM. Kickstands up at 11:15 AM. The following day, July 27, the SFDOBWMC is riding down to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Meet at Spikes Coffee on 19th St and Castro at 8:00 AM. Kickstands up at 8:30 AM. Vick
Germany,
Message from the President //5.12.08 // vick germany Happy Gay Pride Month! Please check out the Pride Parade page where you can now fill out a Pride Parade Registration Form. You still have to print it out, mail it and a check for $15 to the SFLGBTPCC 1800 Market Street, PMB #5, San Francisco, CA 94102. The deadline for pre-registration is fast approaching, and that date is June 25. After June 25, registration goes up to $20. So, please send in your registration form and check in by that date. There will be opportunities to register the Saturday before at our annual pre-pride parade party (for more info see below and the Events Page and also the day off the parade; however, I strongly encourage you to pre-register because it helps the SFDOBWMC tremendously on the day of the parade! On May 15, the GLBTHS special exhibit honoring the Dykes on Bikes®: “Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront. We fought for it. We earned it. We own it.” officially opened! Considering the news about the California Supreme Court ruling about marriage equality that same day, there was a good turnout for the event, and everyone I talked to enjoyed the exhibit, especially sitting on the Triumph, with footage of the Dykes on Bikes® projected behind them and listening to the sound of Dykes on Bikes® on a pair of headphones. If you’ve never ridden in the parade, but always wanted to, this is a great way to get a sense of the thrill of riding in the parade. If you want to experience a ride in the parade, you will have the opportunity to win a chance to ride on the back of a bike by coming to our annual Pre-Pride Parade Party on June 28 (see info below). The exhibit runs until July 12. The GLBT Historical Society is located at 657 Mission Street 3rd Floor and exhibit galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. On May 17, not quite a dozen riders (including a couple of scooters) met at Spikes Coffee for a Dykes on Bikes® in town ride lead by Kelly. We cruised around the city -- up to Twin Peaks, over to McClaren Park, stopping at Dainese D-Store at 31 S Van Ness Ave (between 12th St & Mission St) for Italian sodas and espresso, over to the GLBT Historical Society to tour the 30 years of DOB exhibit and then finally ending at the DOB party at the Eagle. The Dykes on Bikes® ‘The Dyke and Fem Party’ had three bands (The Yes Gos, Keep Sweet and Ol’ Cheeky Bastard) that rocked the Eagle. Bubblinsugare was auctioneer extraordinaire – auctioning off signed Giants memorabilia, a $50 gift certificate to Alpha Pets, a Prostar tank bag with a retail value of $61.95 each (donated by MotoJava), and a chance to ride on the back of Sheila Malone’s bike during the SF LGBT Pride Parade! A good time was had by all. We also had this year’s t-shirts, caps, and pins for sale (see Merchandise). We will have them for sale at our June 28 event (see below for more info) and on June 29 at Market and Steuart Sts where we line-up for the parade. On May 18, the Dykes on Bikes® and the Inter-Club Fund held a Spring Ride to the North Bay. Unfortunately, I was not able to go on the ride (I was playing tourist in Chicago after the International Mr. Leather contest was over. I had the honor of being at judge this year) and I have not heard how the ride was. Knowing the area, though, I’m sure it was a pretty ride. Because I was in Chicago this year, there was no ride to the Santa Cruz Gay Pride Parade (held on June 1). We’ll be back next year, though. On June 12 - Dykes On Bikes® presents "30 Years of a Ride," a panel discussion about the major mile markers of this landmark organization. At the GLBT Historical Society, 6:00-8:00pm. I am leading a Dykes on Bikes® ride down to San Jose Pride Parade on June 15. For the fourth straight year, the Dykes on Bikes® are riding down to San Jose's Gay Pride Parade “Laugh, Love and Be Proud” www.sanjosepride.com/. This run is for women (used in the broadest/inclusive sense of that word) so as to increase the visibility of Dykes on Bikes® in the San Jose Pride Parade. The parade starts at 10:30AM. Meet at Caffe Soma at 1601 Howard St (just 2 blocks up from the Eagle Tavern), San Francisco at 8:00 AM. The caffe is open. Ride leaves at 8:30 AM sharp! For South Bay Riders, meet the SFDOBWMC at the assembly area in San Jose 9:30 AM, which is at the Victory Parking lot on S. Market St. between West St. John's and West Santa Clara. You must have a valid driver's license and proof of insurance to ride in the parade. There is a $5 registration fee. I will bring registration forms and collect the fee from riders. The San Jose Gay Pride Festival costs $15 to enter and the parking lot on Woz Way between W. San Carlos and Park Ave charged $5 to park last year (in previous years it was free). For those of you who do not want to go to the festival, I will be leading the group to a local restaurant for brunch after the parade, and then for a ride in the South Bay. Details to be provided on Sunday, June 15. If you are interested in riding down to San Jose or the ride afterwards, please RSVP to president@dykesonbikes.org that way I can plan for the ride, brunch, etc. For information on volunteering to help line up 400 bikes and the dykes (and some men) who ride them, contact: lineup@dykesonbikes.org. To be a Road Captain, contact: roadcaptain@dykesonbikes.org. Road Captain/Line-up meetings will be held on the following dates:
June 25 – Pre-registration ends. Registration after this date goes up to $20. You can register on June 28 at our annual party (see below) or on June 29 at Registration, which is on Steuart St. between Market and Mission. See Pride Page for details. On June 26, the GLBT Historical Society will hold a special Pride Week reception for the Dykes on Bikes® exhibit from 6 – 8 pm. On June 28, the Dykes on Bikes® throw their annual pre-pride parade party, from 1 – 5 pm at the Eagle Tavern in San Francisco. This is a special event as we will be celebrating our Trademark victory! We will have live music by Kyra Gordon and the Tender Morsels. This year’s raffle prizes include a pair of women's textile riding pants (size 12) retail value of $200 and a Prostar tank bag with a retail value of $61.95 (donated by MotoJava), various leather items from Leather Etc, a gift certificate to Tangerine, and a ride on the back of Ren Davis-Phoenix’s (organizing member of the Dykes on Bikes® - (check out her photo at the Members Page) bike with the Dykes on Bikes® in the SF LGBT Pride Parade! Here’s your chance to ride in the parade—with the Dykes on Bikes®! We will also have a special raffle prize: 2 round-trip tickets on Virgin America! For the Virgin America tickets, you need not be present to win and raffle tickets will cost $5/ticket. June 29—the Big Day—the SF LGBT Pride Parade! Check out the Pride Page for more information. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS FOR THE PRIDE PARADE (Road Captains, Line-Up, Registration)! If you are interested in volunteering, contact:
A reminder that stunt riding is not allowed. This includes: wheelies, weaving, passing bikes in front, dropping behind, breaking out of line, doubling back against the flow of the Parade, riding right up to the spectators, purposely creating gaps, crowding or endangering other bikes. Passengers must be legally seated in the passenger seat. Only 2 people per bike. Items cannot be thrown from a bike. You may see some people riding to the outside of the two columns of bikes—these are Road Captains. If a Road Captain asks you to do something, please comply with their request. They are helping to ensure that everyone has a safe ride down Market St. The DOB is meeting every Wednesday through June 25 at 7:30 pm at the Eagle Tavern, located at the corner of 12th St/Harrison St. Well, that’s it for this month. I hope to see you at one or more of the events listed above. Vick
Germany,
I want to thank all of the people who took the time to respond to the Dykes on Bikes®, survey. The organizing members read over the responses last month and (once Pride is over) we will be looking at ways to incorporate some of the suggestions. In last month’s President’s message, I noted the loss of three of our organizing members. Well, this month I have the pleasure to announce the addition of our newest member—Paige. Check out her photo and ‘bio’ at dykesonbikes.org/1_members.html. While Paige may not have considered herself much of a “joiner” she has already made positive contributions to the organization and will, no doubt, continue to do so. Welcome Paige! Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) 12, which was held April 11 – 13, was a success! Over 300 people registered and, by nearly all accounts, those who attended contributed to an excitement and a level of intellectual and leadership arousal that was positively electric. It was exactly the kind of conference I would want to attend—Arousing! Involving! Challenging! I hope that those who attended brought positive aspects of the conference home to your communities, whether you are local or from across the country. For those of you who thought that its about ‘leather’ and doesn’t concern me, you missed an incredible opportunity to learn a myriad of leadership skills that could be applied to a variety of situations. There can be no community (leather, gay, lesbian, dyke, motorcycling, whatever) without individuals willing to give their time and energy (emotional and intellectual) to advance various causes (which don’t always have to be serious! Organizing a motorcycle ride can be a ‘cause.’) and LLC 12 was all about giving people the tools to do a better job in their organizations and communities. I want to thank the ‘Road Warriors’ – those people who donated $100 to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) to underwrite the special exhibit honoring the Dykes on Bikes®: “Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront. We fought for it. We earned it. We own it.” Right now, I do not have a list of names, but I hope to for next month’s column. Although I could not be there (I was traveling to Cleveland that night to attend CLAW: Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend), I donated $100. I believe in putting money where my mouth is as well as my time and energy. I also want to thank Sheila and Glenne for all of the hours of work that they have put into making this exhibit a reality. It truly is a labor of love! While LLC 12 weekend was all about leadership skills, CLAW was all about fun and meeting new people. They had an art show, a Big Top (think circus) party, skills and erotic workshops, vendor mart, various parties and a selection of tours. I went on the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame tour and, when you enter, you are taken over to a screen where your photo is taken. I now have a photo of me holding a guitar with about 20 'Leather Pips' behind me. <VBG> I saw a special exhibit on making the Beatles movie ‘Help,’ an exhibit on Jim Morrison (of the Doors), and the regular exhibition that includes guitars, outfits (Madonna’s bustier), a few cars (Janis Joplin’s Porsche), a couple of motorcycles, and more. If you ever get a chance to go—do so! On May 15, the GLBTHS special exhibit honoring the Dykes on Bikes®: “Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront. We fought for it. We earned it. We own it.” officially opens! I, and other members of the Dykes on Bikes®, will be at the opening and we hope to see many of you there as well! For more information, go to Rides & Events or glbthistory.org/index.html. The April 27 Dykes on Bikes® beer/soda bust was packed with guys who wolfed down lots of dogs and beer, and bought 50/50 raffle tickets. My special thanks go out to El and Katie who worked on putting the event together, and to Sean and Philip who sold raffle tickets. The event allows us to reach out to the gay men’s community and provided a needed boost in our operating budget. The morning of May 17, meet at Spikes Coffee 4117 19th Street, (x Castro) San Francisco at 11:00 AM for a Dykes on Bikes® in town ride lead by Kelly. Kickstands are up at 11:15 AM. As part of the ride, we will stop at the GLBTS for the 30 years of DOB exhibit and then end at the DOB party at the Eagle (see below for more info on the party). Check Rides & Events for more information. This ride is open to everyone! On May 17, from 3 – 6 pm at the Eagle Tavern, the Dykes on Bikes® are throwing The Dyke and Fem Party with three bands (The Yes Gos, Keep Sweet and Ol’ Cheeky Bastard) that’ll rock the house. In addition, we will be auctioning off signed Giants memorabilia, a $50 gift certificate to Alpha Pets, women's textile riding pants (size 12) retail value of $200 and Prostar tank bags with a retail value of $61.95 each (donated by MotoJava), various leather items from Leather Etc, a gift certificate to Tangerine, and last, but certainly not least, a chance to ride on the back of Sheila Malone’s (organizing member of the Dykes on Bikes® - check out her photo at http://dykesonbikes.org/1_members.html) bike during the SF LGBT Pride Parade next month! Also, we should have this year’s t-shirts, caps, and pins for sale (see Merchandise). On May 18, the Dykes on Bikes® and the Inter-Club Fund are having a Spring Ride to the North Bay. This is a Category 3 ride (sweepers, twisties, may be over 100 miles). Meet at 11:00 AM at Mel's Drive-In at 2165 Lombard Street (earlier if you want breakfast). Kickstands are up at 11:15 AM. Lunch at the Cheese Factory and end at the Inter Club Fund Beer Bust. Ride cost is free. Contact Kelly for more information at ridecoordinator@dykesonbikes.org. May 31 is the NCLR’s 2008 Anniversary Celebration. The NCLR provided pro bono legal services to the Dykes on Bikes® in our landmark trademark case. For more information, go to Rides & Events. June, as we all know, is Pride month and in addition to the SF LGBT Pride Parade, there are events in other towns. For the past three years, I’ve lead an overnight ride to Santa Cruz’a Pride Parade, but because of my schedule this year I will not be leading the ride and unfortunately, the Dykes on Bikes® ride leader will be on the Aids Ride. So, there is no ride to Santa Cruz, but I encourage everyone to go down there on their own as it is a fun event. Because it is smaller in size, it is much more intimate. The parade this year is on Sunday, June 1. Check out diversitycenter.org/programs/santa-cruz-glbtiq-pride/ for more information. I still plan on leading a Dykes on Bikes® ride down to San Jose Pride Parade on June 15. I will get details up on the June 15 ride on Rides & Events sometime later this month or early June. Instead of going to the celebration after the parade, I’m looking at doing a ride. For photos of last year’s ride to San Jose, check out pbase.com/dykesonbikes/san_jose_pride_07. On June 12th, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, the GLBT Historical Society will have a Public Program: “30 Years of a Ride”: Panel discussing major mile markers of a landmark group—the Dykes on Bikes®! On June 28, the Dykes on Bikes® throw their annual Pre-Pride Parade Party, from 1 – 5 PM at the Eagle Tavern in San Francisco. This is a special event as we will be celebrating our trademark victory! We will have live music by Kyra Gordon and the Tender Morsels. Stay tuned for more details here and at Rides & Events. June 29—the Big Day—the SF LGBT Pride Parade! Check out the Pride Page for more information, as we get closer to the Big Day! We need volunteers to help line up 400 bikes (contact: lineup@dykesonbikes.org), Road Captains (contact: roadcaptain@dykesonbikes.org) and registration (contact: registration@dykesonbikes.org). Vick
Germany,
Last month I wrote about an interview I did for the French lesbian magazine, Muses. The interview was taped and later translated into French. One of our soon-to-be new Dykes on Bikes® members, Page, translated the article into English so that I, and other members could read it. Remember the movie ‘Lost in Translation?’ Well, some things definitely got lost in translation! There are a few statements about women that are not accurate. Also, the article notes that I had breast cancer. I have NEVER had breast cancer. The sign my mom carries when she rides on the back of my bike in the Pride Parade reads ‘Proud Mom’ not ‘Mother’s Pride.’ And, the expression is ‘Hug the Curves’ not ‘Marry the Curves.’ There are some additional incorrect statements, but I won’t belabor the point. Que sera sera. Hopefully,
Sandy will get her photos of the first Dykes on Bikes® ride that happened on March 9 up on the website soon. She’s been very busy with work
lately, getting up to speed as our new treasurer, and putting together a survey
for the Dykes
on Bikes®,
which was emailed to everyone who has registered with the Dykes on Bikes® for past Pride parades. You can still take the survey!
Please go to Speaking of Sandy, Sandy’s t-shirt design was selected as the winner of the t-shirt design contest! All entries were printed out and reviewed by the Dykes on Bikes® beginning in February and going through March. It was a tough choice narrowing down the field of entries to select just one design. To see this year’s t-shirt, go to Merchandise. There is no Dykes on Bikes® ride this month because Kelly, our ride coordinator, is doing a lot of traveling. However, the Muses and Bay Area Women Riders each have rides planned this month (see Rides & Events ). Last month, on March 22, Soni Wolf (Secretary), Brooke Oliver (attorney for the SFDOBWMC), and myself participated in a panel called “More than a Name: Trademark Protection for Dykes on Bikes” at the national meeting of Popular Culture Association & American Culture Association. The panel was organized by Dr. Alex Ilyasova, English Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and Jessica Keesee, third year law student at Georgia State University College of Law. It was a pleasure to meet Alex and Jessica and participate in the panel. We were well received by the audience, which were interested in learning about our trademark case as well as discussing broader societal factors (e.g., sexuality, masculinity, and motorcycle culture). I met a couple of women who are doing research on the motorcycle jacket. I sent out an email to the general SFDOBWMC rider list with the link to the survey and hope some of you took the 10 minutes or so to fill it out. The survey is still in progress—go to: thisnanook.com/survey_biker/. Also, I met Steve Alford and Suzanne Ferriss, who recently published a book called simply ‘Motorcycle.’ In the book, they chronicle how and when the motorcycle began to roar down the open road. Motorcycle explores the roots of the rebel’s ultimate ride. Check it out at themotorcyclebook.com. Also last month, the Dykes on Bikes® lost three organizing members: Tazz, moved to Texas to be with her girlfriend; Lisa, moved to Pasadena to work in a law firm, and Ali resigned for personal reasons. I wish the best of luck to Tazz and Lisa in their new locales and look forward to hearing from them about starting Dykes on Bikes® chapters. Ali was a long-term member and contributed greatly to the Dykes on Bikes®. She will be missed! A reminder that beginning this month, the SFDOBWMC meets every Wednesday through June 25 to plan rides, fundraisers, the SF LGBT Pride Parade and conduct other business. Our meetings start at 7:30 pm and will be at the Eagle Tavern, located at the corner of 12th St/Harrison. Leather Leadership Conference (LLC) 12 is almost here (April 11 – 13) and while it has been a pleasure and a learning experience to be on the local organizing committee, I will be glad when LLC 12 is over. I will have a little more free time for myself, my girlfriend, riding, and the Dykes on Bikes®. LLC 12 is running a special deal for the rare opportunity to hear some of the most important leather leaders speak their minds. All three speakers have promised remarks that will be talked about for years. For more information, go to Rides & Events or to loc.leatherleadership.org/llc12/Speakers.html In addition to the special speaker rate, LLC 12 has also announced special single day registration for Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13. Even if you are not into ‘leather’, I encourage anyone who is interested in increasing their leadership skills to take advantage of these special rates. For more information, go to Rides & Events or loc.leatherleadership.org/llc12/schedule_list.html. On Thursday, April 24, 6:00-8:00pm, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) at 657 Mission Street 3rd Floor, San Francisco is having a private reception for "Road Warriors." Road Warriors are people who contribute $100 or more to underwrite the special exhibit honoring the Dykes on Bikes®: “Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront. We fought for it. We earned it. We own it.” Two of the curators are Dykes on Bikes® members: Sheila and Glenne). Please consider becoming a Road Warrior and helping to mount this important exhibition on the 30+ year history of Dykes on Bikes®. I would love to be there to meet the Road Warriors, but I will be flying to Cleveland that night to attend CLAW: Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend. I had made reservations to attend CLAW before hearing about this reception. The exhibit officially opens on May 15 and runs until July 11. I, and other members of the Dykes on Bikes® will be at the opening and hope to see many of you there as well! For more information, go to Rides & Events or glbthistory.org/index.html. April 27 is the first Dykes on Bikes® beer/soda bust of the year at the Eagle Tavern from 3 – 6 pm. The date falls on a Sunday, which means the Eagle is packed with men. Dykes, women, lesbians are more than welcome to come, but I want to let you know that there will be a lot of guys there. However,
the Dykes on
Bikes® next
soda/beer bust will be on a Saturday -- May 31 is the NCLR’s 2008 Anniversary Celebration. The NCLR provided pro bono legal services to the Dykes on Bikes® in our landmark trademark case. While not a cheap event, I hope to see some dykes there! For more information, go to Rides & Events. June,
as we all know, is Pride month and what better way to celebrate it than by
riding to some of the local Pride parades! Santa Cruz’s Pride Parade is on June 8. On June 7, I will lead a Dykes on Bikes® overnight ride to Santa Cruz.
Check out the photos from last year at: On June 15, I will lead a Dykes on Bikes® ride to the San Jose Pride
Parade. For photos of last year’s ride to San Jose, check out On June 12th, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, the GLBT Historical Society will have a Public Program: “30 Years of a Ride”: Panel discussing major mile markers of a landmark group—the Dykes on Bikes®! On June 28, the SFDOBWMC throws their annual Pre-Pride Parade Party, which will be at the Eagle Tavern. Stay tuned for more details here and at Rides & Events Organizing members, Katie and Page, are working on the party details. June 29—the Big Day—the SF LGBT Pride Parade! Check out 08 Pride Page for more information, as we get closer to the Big Day! Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 3.12.08 // vick germany
I was interviewed for the French lesbian magazine, Muses, on January 25th by Clarrise. She was cute and so was her girlfriend. Unfortunately when they were in SF, it rained the whole time, so they were not impressed. I tried to convince them to come to San Francisco at the end of June to see theDykes on Bikes® and the Pride Parade—perhaps, they’ll give SF another chance. Go to dykesonbikes.org/1_news.html to check out the magazine (warning—it’s all in French). The interview was taped and it will also air on a Belgium radio station called ‘Bang Bang.’ First a Hungarian dyke magazine and now a French lesbian magazine, and a Belgium radio station—the Dykes on Bikes® are internationally known! Cool! On February 16, the 42st Annual Inter-Club Fund (ICF) Motorcycle Awards were held and Lisa, one of the organizing members, was one of the lucky raffle prize winners! The SFDOBWMC is a proud member and supporter of the ICF. The ICF gives out grants up to $1,500 to people who are in financial distress due to accident or illness, and have exhausted other sources of assistance. In addition, the ICF promotes safe motorcycling. See 4icf.org for more information. On March 9, the SFDOBWMC held their first ride of the season. Kelly organized a Category 2 (sweepers maybe a few twisties over 25 miles) ride in the beautiful wine country of Sonoma. Earlier in the week, showers were predicted, but it ended up being a beautiful early spring day. We met at Mel’s and, for those of us who remembered to set their clocks ahead an hour, had breakfast. Soni and my girl, Laura, also joined the group for breakfast, but did not go on the ride (Soni had to work and Laura’s bike had a flat tire). For those who didn’t remember to set their clocks, well, they at least managed to get to the ride before we left! There were 10 bikes and 11 people: Diane, Sandy, Laurie, Zach/Raven, Kelly, Leslie, Anthony, Alex, Sara (aka ‘Sez’), and myself. Sez provided the color, with her brand spankin’ new red Ducati. Unfortunately, our lunch stop, while at a gorgeous locale alongside a little creek, was way too long, though no fault of Kelly’s. The restaurant did not seem to be prepared to handle more than a few customers. Several of us went down to the creek and skipped stones while waiting for lunch to be served. For those of us who have not ridden much since the rainy season, it was a nice warm up for the rides to come. Sandy, our new treasurer, took some photos that I hope will be on dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html in a few days. For various rides, see dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html for more info. From March 19 – 22, the Popular Culture Association & American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) are having their national meeting in SF and Soni Wolf (Secretary), Brooke Oliver (attorney for the SFDOBWMC) and myself will be on a panel entitled “Motorcycle Culture and Myth: More than a Name: Trademark Protection for Dykes on Bikes” talking about our long struggle to trademark Dykes on Bikes®. The panel will be on Saturday, March 22, from 12:30 – 2:00 pm. Dr. Alex Ilyasova, English Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, invited us to participate. She had previously written an article entitled “Dykes on Bikes and the Regulation of Vulgarity” published in the International Journal of Motorcycle Studies (IJMS). You can read her article at http://dykesonbikes.org/1_news.html. Scroll all the way down to the bottom. I’m looking forward to being on the panel! For information about the PCA/ACA conference, go to: http://pcaaca.org/. Unfortunately, to attend the conference, you must first join PCA/ACA and then also register for the conference. However, in addition to the above panel, the conference will also be showing “Motorcycling Culture and Myth: Screening of the Escape Route Flix Film Why Sturgis? on March 20 from 8:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Other sessions include:
Beginning April 2, the DOB meets every Wednesday through June 25 to plan rides, fundraisers, the SF LGBT Pride Parade and conduct other business. Our meetings start at 7:30 pm and will be at the Eagle Tavern, located at the corner of 12th St/Harrison. By meeting at the Eagle, people will be able to park and not spend 30 – 45 minutes circling the Castro. Sometimes, people have to drive rather than ride and parking is a pain (on a good day) in the Castro. April 11 – 13 is Leather Leadership Conference 12 here in SF. This is a great opportunity for people to attend a conference to share their knowledge and experience with one another, fostering a greater sense of unity and understanding within the community as a whole. Go to loc.leatherleadership.org/llc12/index.html for more information about the conference and how to register. I am one of the organizers of the conference and urge anyone who is interested in increasing their leadership skills to register for the conference. It promises to be arousing! Early registration has closed, but if you register by April 10, it is only $134. Otherwise, it’ll be $145 if you wait till the conference. April 27 is the first SFDOBWMC beer bust of the year at the Eagle Tavern from 3 – 6 pm. The date falls on a Sunday, which means the Eagle is packed with men. So, much for McDermott’s premise that dykes are men-haters! I will not be at this beer bust because I will be attending CLAW (Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend). It will be an opportunity for me to meet most of the other judges for the International Mr. Leather (IML) contest as well as many of the contestants. I also get to go to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Museum, which is listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. From May 1 – 4, the International Ms. Leather (IMsL) contest returns to SF. Are you ready for the ride? If so, check out imsl.org. I had the privilege to be one of the judges last year and it was a great event. I’m looking forward to being a spectator this year and cruising the women! From May 15 – July 11 the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Historical Society (GLBT) presents: “Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront. We fought for it. We earned it. We own it.” An exhibition celebrating the mythic place Dykes on Bikes® holds not only at the forefront of the annual SF Pride Parade but also in the hearts of millions of people all over the world as an inspirational symbol of queer pride and lesbian power. Opening Reception: May 15th, at the GLBT Historical Society 657 Mission Street 3rd Floor, San Francisco. Check the dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html page for more information about this incredible exhibition on the Dykes on Bikes®! We will be posting updates as this program develops. I want to thank SFDOBWMC organizing members Sheila and Glenne for all of the work they are putting into this exhibition to make it a truly first class event. May 17 -- the second SFDOBWMC beer bust of the year—Eagle Tavern from 3 – 6 pm. Kelly will be putting together an in-town ride with a special stop at the GLBT Historical Society to view the “Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront. We fought for it. We earned it. We own it” exhibition. Organizing members, Katie and El, are working on the party details. From May 21 – May 28, I will be in Chicago for the 30th annual IML contest as one of the judges! It is quite an honor to be selected as one of the judges for this prestigious contest. I don’t think I uttered an intelligible word the first minute after I got the phone call. As with Cleveland, I plan on going to some of the places listed in 1000 Places to See Before You Die. I’ll save the two restaurants for when my girlfriend can come with me, though. May 31 will be the NCLR’s 2008 Anniversary Celebration—dinner will be at the Westin St. Francis and the party will be at the Metreon. Go to nclrights.org/ and click on 5/31/08. On June 7 – 8, I will be once again leading a Dykes on Bikes® overnight ride to Santa Cruz for their Pride Parade. This will be the third year in a row. I will get details up on dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html sometime in May. On June 12th, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., the GLBT Historical Society will have a Public Program: “30 Years of a Ride”: Panel discussing major mile markers of a landmark group—the Dykes on Bikes®! On June 15, I will be once again leading a Dykes on Bikes® ride to the San Jose Pride Parade (the 4th year in a row). This year, I am thinking of doing something a bit different—so stay tuned for more details here and at dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html. On June 28, the SFDOBWMC throws their annual Pre-Pride Parade Party, which will be at the Eagle Tavern. Stay tuned for more details here and at dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html. Organizing members, Katie and El, are working on the party details. June 29—the Big Day—the SF LGBT Pride Parade! Check out dykesonbikes.org/1_pride.html for more information, as we get closer to the Big Day! Ok, that’s enough of the calendar stuff! Lastly, I want to thank the artists who submitted designs for this year’s t-shirts: Jeani, Kati, and Sandy. The submissions were great! The organizers are narrowing down the choices and next month I will post the winning design. Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 1.18.08 // vick germany
As I prepared this message, I took a look back at last year’s December message and February’s (I didn’t write a January message last year) and was struck by how little had changed – such as our trademark battle and getting new bylaws approved. However, before I could get this message posted, one extremely important change came through—WE WON OUR TRADEMARK CASE! The U.S. Supreme Court turned down McDermott’s request to review the U.S. Court of Appeals decision affirming our right to trademark Dykes on Bikes®. Please see dykesonbikes.org/1_news.html for more information on this historic occasion! Please note that in the press release, our organization was identified as the ‘San Francisco Women’s Motorcycle Contingent.” This old name was used on the original filing of the trademark papers and, therefore, used on all subsequent legal papers. Let me assure all of you that are name is “SAN FRANCISCO DYKES ON BIKES® WOMEN’S MOTORCYCLE CONTINGENT! SFDOBWMC will be planning a victory party so keep checking back for information. One further change that has already occurred this year is that Rose, the SFDOBWMC treasurer for nearly three years, has stepped down. It has been a pleasure working with Rose these past few years. She not only helped the SFDOBWMC with our financial affairs but she helped keep Soni and I sane during some intense periods. One of the great things about volunteering with the SFDOBWMC is the opportunity to meet some great people and for those people to become friends. Rose is one such person—a great person and a friend. The good news is that she is not leaving the SFDOBWMC. Sandy has volunteered to step into the void and she will make a great addition to the officers. To see whom I am talking about go to dykesonbikes.org/1_members.html. I hope this is the year that we finally get some new bylaws as well as policies and procedures. Toward the end of last year, a policies and procedures committee was formed and they have been making excellent progress on developing more robust policies and procedures for the group. Getting improved bylaws and comprehensive policies and procedures has been a dream of mine since I became president over four years ago! A short recap of 2007 of SFDOBWMC activities:
In addition to the above activities, the Playboy Channel interviewed me for a show called “Happy Naked Girls” and no, I was not one of the naked girls! The producer was shooting the show in SF and I provided some of the local dyke color. It is supposed to air sometime this month. I read a lot of Playboy magazines when I was a little dyke in training! I was also interviewed for the inaugural edition of a dyke magazine in Budapest, Hungary! Go to dykesonbikes.org/1_news.html to check out the magazine (warning—it’s all in Hungarian). I’ve posted my interview, which is in English, so you can read it. Now, how cool is that! So, what’s ahead for 2008? As of right now, the following is what is showing in my crystal ball:
After June, my crystal ball goes dark, so stay tuned for more information. I’m looking forward to many exciting events this year and hope to see you there! Message from the President // 11.09.07 // vick germany
All I can say it was f**king gorgeous! Laura (my girlfriend) is keeping track of how many times I say 'gorgeous' in my telling of the ride. I think I'm over a dozen. It was one of those days that makes you very, very happy to live in Northern California. We gathered over in the East Bay (check out the photos at dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html), headed up I-80 to Hwy 37 to Hwy 29, to Hwy 12/121 and then took a right onto Napa Rd., which took us into the Town of Sonoma, where I had to pull over ‘cause I had a fly in my helmet. We followed the Sonoma Hwy up to Santa Rosa and then took the Calistoga Rd. into Calistoga, where we had lunch at a Mexican place that had some outdoor tables in the shade. Shade was important ‘cause it was about 75 degrees! After lunch in Calistoga, our group split up. Max and Liz took off to take some photos of the vineyards and the environs. Unfortunately, Max had camera problems, so only Liz’s photos are on the website. Kate and Nicole hung out in Calistoga and the rest of us started heading back home via the Silverado Trail. I’ll say it one more time--it was a gorgeous fall day! Anyone who says California does not have fall colors has not seen miles of vineyards in various shades of oranges and reds against a backdrop of evergreen oaks and pines of the Mayacamas and Vaca mountains from the seat of a bike. The day, ride and women were invigorating—something I sorely needed after a couple of events earlier in the month. On October 4, an article appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle about some snafus involving Marines, San Francisco and Oakland. The lead paragraph started off as follows: “To the rest of the United States, the San Francisco Bay Area is the nation's stronghold of pinkos, radicals, traitors and dangerous fringe groups. And the proof came last week in reports that the city that allows a group called Dykes on Bikes to parade up Market Street had refused to allow the U.S. Marine Corps to make a television recruiting commercial in the Financial District.” Yes, you read it right, the Dykes on Bikes® are proof that the Bay Area is populated by pinkos, radicals, traitors, and dangerous fringe groups. For my response to this assertion, please see dykesonbikes.org/1_news.html. I wrote two responses--the first one was before I read that the newspaper wants letters to the editor of 200 words or less. The second letter is a little over 200 words. The second disturbing piece of news came on October 9, when the DOB got word that the opposer to the DOB trademark (“Dykes on Bikes®”) filed an ‘appeal’ with the U.S. Supreme Court. Yep, that’s right, the DOB trademark case is now before the highest court in the land! Although the TTAB and Federal Circuit courts ruled in our favor, our opposer just won’t let it rest. Because this is an on-going legal issue, all I will say is that the DOB is determined to see this through. If the Supreme Court does take the issue of the trademark up for review, rather than dismissing the opposition, the DOB will organize a ride to Washington, D.C.! If that day comes, I will personally ask all of our fellow gay, lesbian, dyke, queer bike riders (and lovers and friends of bike riders) to join the DOB on the ride to Washington, D.C., even if it is only for a few miles, as a show of solidarity in our cause to proudly identify as “Dykes on Bikes”—a name we have been known by for over 30 years—a name that is a source of pride. Now you know why the fusion of good weather, gorgeous scenery, fun, sexy, strong Dykes on Bikesä on October 21 was such a welcome tonic. I hope all of you find ways to rejuvenate after getting hit upside the head by life’s curveballs. Last month I noted how the ICF is doing some self-examination to determine what its role in the community over the coming years should be. They need our help and opinions! The ICF created an on-line survey at 4icf.org/, and ask that you take some time to tell them what you think. It takes about 10 – 15 minutes (depending on the number of questions that are applicable to you). It's open to everyone! Dykes on Bikesä is a member of the ICF, which gives out grants to people in the leather, levi and motorcycling community who, due to accident or illness, need help paying their bills. Please take a few minutes out of your schedule to fill out the survey. Please note a change in our November meeting date. Because the 3rd meeting in November is the day before Thanksgiving, the Dykes on Bikes® will be meeting on November 14. There will be no meeting in December unless a special one is called. Starting in January, we meet the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at the Castro Country Club. Calling all artists! The Dykes on Bikes® are looking for art for next year’s t-shirt design for the SF LGBT Pride Parade. It’s simple to enter and multiple submissions from the same artist are welcome. Generally our t-shirts are a white design on a black background, but we have done color a couple of times in the past. If you submit a color design, please keep it simple as the cost goes up with more colors/complexity. Go to dykesonbikes.org/1_merchandise.html to see some of our past designs. With respect to the design, please include one or any combination of the following elements: a motorcycle, parts thereof, the phrase “Dykes on Bikes®”, or somehow convey the Zen of riding a bike. The SF LGBT Pride Parade theme is “United by Pride, Bound for Equality” but your design does not need to incorporate this theme. Please also make sure to sign your design, that way everyone who wears the winning selection will know who the artist is. Submit a high-resolution image (jpeg or something similar) to president@dykesonbikes.org by January 31, 2008 and include your email address so we can get in touch with you. Remember that the design needs to fit on the front or back of a t-shirt. There is no cash prize for the winning entry and the design becomes the property of Dykes on Bikes®, but your design will be on hundreds of dykes (and their friends), it will be added to our website, the Dykes on Bikes® will announce the winner on the website and at our parties, and you get a free t-shirt! Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 10.08.07 // vick germany
Speaking of the ICF, they are doing some self-examination to determine what its role in the community over the coming years should be and they need our help and opinions! The ICF created an on-line survey at 4icf.org, and ask that you take some time to tell them what you think. It takes about 10 – 15 minutes (depending on the number of questions that are applicable to you). It's open to everyone! The SFDOBWMC is a member of the ICF, which gives out grants to people in the leather, levi and motorcycling community who, due to accident or illness, need help paying their bills. On September 23, Kelly led a SFDOBWMC fundraising ride in the memory of our Treasurer’s nephew (Matt) who recently passed away from lymphomia leukemia, leaving behind a wife and a young daughter. Although the weather was a bit chilly, a number of riders showed up and donated a minimum of $10 to the Lymphoma Leukemia Society. Nearly $300 was raised. I want to thank everyone who went on the ride: Diana, Carla, Sandy, Keshau, Kathleen, Kimber, Anthony, Soni, Kelly, Lisa, Scott, Gregg, Zach, Pat, Rose, Sheila, and Marc(k). I was in Tucson, but before I left, I donated $10 ‘cause I would’ve been on the ride if I were in town. Well, the weather cooperated last Sunday, September 30, for the Folsom Street Fair! It was a beautiful day! For the 3rd year, the SFDOBWMC staffed the Folsom Street Fair motorcycle parking area in front of Mr. S. Leathers at 385 8th Street. This year, over 100 bikes (up from last year) used the parking area and many took advantage of the helmet booth. I want to thank the following people who turned up to work a shift: Anthony, Sandy (who was still getting over her cold), Shelli, Kate, Liz, Rose (who was there all day), Soni (who was also there all day), Tazz, Loca (from the She-Devils), and Lisa (who I recruited that day ‘cause we were short staffed). I was there most of the day as well and brought pastries, water and tea for the volunteers. I had a great time, hanging out at the booth, meeting other motorcycle riders, eating pastries, and watching the crowd. I did leave for a couple of hours, one of which was spent handing out flyers for the ICF that information about the survey (see above) and the 42nd Annual Motorcycle Awards on February 16, 2008 (see 4icf.org for more information). The other hour was spent playing with my girl over at the women’s area. Unfortunately, the St. Andrews cross in the play tent was on the rough side and causing some discomfort to my girl and not in a good way! Speaking of beautiful weather, this first weekend in October is fabulous! I hope some of you went out riding! Since the last two weekends were spent doing volunteer work, I’ve been spending this weekend, not at the Golden Gate Guards 21st Annual Weekend Run, but at home, pulling weeds, cleaning the outside windows, errands and writing this message! However, on October 21, I plan on going on the Muses ride to the wine country (weather permitting). The Muses rode down with the SFDOBWMC on the Santa Cruz Pride Parade ride and they are a great group of women! Check them out by going on the ride. See dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html for more information. I hope to see you there. Please note a change in our November meeting date. Because the 3rd meeting in November is the day before Thanksgiving, the SFDOBWMC will be meeting on November 14. There will be no meeting in December unless a special one is called. Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 9.17.07 // vick germany
I want to thank everyone who sent my mom a donation for the Relay for Life walk she participated in on August 25. In no particular order, my mom and I wish to thank: the SFDOBWMC, “Mama” Sandy Reinhart, Pat, Kym, Rose, Durga, and Linda. With the help of those individuals, the SFDOBWMC, and my mom’s fundraising efforts my mom raised $1,100 as a team of one. Along with the donations, my mom appreciated the notes that were included. A little over one week later, my mom was in the hospital having her heart checked out. She’s ok and it looks like she’ll be around for next year’s walk. Earlier this month, while perusing the Sunday paper, I came across the obituary of one of the early members of the SFDOBWMC—Rita "Rainy" Creighton. Rita died of head injuries sustained in motorcycle accident in Sweden on July 25 while on her way to the Women's International Motorcycle Association's rally in the Neatherlands. My condolences go out to all of Rita's family and friends here in the U.S. and in Sweden. I was not involved with the Dykes on Bikes during Rita's tenure and did not know her, but I hope that I carry on the spirit of her work. I am forever in debt to the women, such as Rita, who started Dykes on Bikes. For more information, please see http://dykesonbikes.org/1_news.html. The Inter-Club Fund (ICF) is sponsoring a Big Gay Day Ride on September 16. Brett has laid out a route in San Francisco “visiting queer and unusual sites.” Meet at Café Flore at 11:00 am. Kickstands up at noon. Ride ends at the Eagle Tavern ~3:00 pm for the ICF beer bust. The SFDOBWMC is a member of the ICF, which gives out grants to people in the leather, levi and motorcycling community who, due to accident or illness, need help paying their bills. I hope to see on the ride and at the beer bust. I will be there! On September 23 the SFDOBWMC will be doing a fundraising ride in the memory of our Treasurer’s nephew (Matt) who recently passed away from lymphomia leukemia., leaving behind a wife and a young daughter. To ride, you must RSVP to secretary@dykesonbike.org no later than September 21. The RSVP is necessary to plan for the ride and, especially for the lunch stop. This is an open ride (all genders and makes of freeway worthy motorcycles). Please feel free to let your friends know about the ride, but they must RSVP. Meet at the Eagle Tavern (12th St/Harrison St in San Francisco) on September 23, at 10:00 AM. Kickstands up promptly at 10:30 AM. There will be a minimum of a $10 donation per rider. The ride will be through the woods of the Santa Cruz area and coming back along the coast. There will be a second pick up spot at the I-280 and Black Mountain Road parking lot at approximately 10:45 AM. Please have a full tank of gas and bring money for gas, lunch, and the donation. On September 30, the SFDOBWMC will be staffing the Folsom Street Fair motorcycle parking for the 3rd year in a row. Bike parking is in front of Mr. S Leathers at 385 8th Street and we are looking for volunteers to help staff the booth. We are only asking for one hour of your time and the work is easy and fun! If you are interested in volunteering, contact the SFDOBWMC secretary at secretary@dykesonbike.org. The Golden Gate Guards are holding their 21st Annual Weekend Run on October 5 – 7. The run is held at a camp in Mendocino (details on location to be provided with registration). I know many of the Guards and they would love to have some dykes go on the run. For more information, see http://dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html. A one-day ride coming up on October 21 is with the Muses to the wine country. The Muses rode down with the SFDOBWMC on the Santa Cruz Pride Parade ride and they are a great group of women! Check them out by going on the ride. See http://dykesonbikes.org/1_events.html for more information. Please note that for September, the SFDOBWMC is meeting on September 26 and because the 3rd meeting in November is the day before Thanksgiving, the SFDOBWMC will be meeting on November 14. Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 8.07.07 //
I did manage to get out of the house the night of July 27 to attend the Northern California Leather Sir/boy judge’s dinner ‘cause I was one of the judges and the San Francisco Leather Daddy contest, which was held at the Eagle. Congratulations to Glen Tanking who became Leather Daddy XXV! On July 28, the judging began for the Northern California Leather Sir/boy contest, which resulted in Will Hutchinson scoring enough points to become Northern California Leather Sir. Unfortunately, no boys ran, but Brian Kurtely was appointed. Boy jean won the Community Boot Black title. The three now advance to the international competition in Dallas in October. On July 11, the SFDOBWMC received some terrific news—the Federal Court of Appeals upheld the decision by the United States Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s dismissal for lack of standing the opposition to our application to register the trademark DYKES ON BIKES®! Yippee! See sfwmc.org/1_news.html for various articles on the ruling. This is truly a victory for the entire LGBT community. I hope our four-year struggle is finally ending. Once we actually get the trademark in our hands, we will be throwing a victory party and you are all invited. Stay tuned. On July 18, we held our monthly meeting, which is our opportunity to debrief on the parade. Various reports came in about problems with Muni (every year there is a problem with Muni—you would think after 31 years someone over there would get a clue!). Also, a float came down Market St into our assembly area and crashed into a street sign and bikers coming down Market St into our assembly area, but not crashing into anything (people—you are supposed to enter from Mission and Steuart Sts). We also heard that there were not enough Road Captains, not enough training for Road Captains and line up crew, and gaps in line up, and a complaint about one of the Road Captains. Furthermore, more club members showing up the ‘day of’ than what showed on the registration forms and encroaching into other club spaces, bicycle riders riding amongst the bikers, and stunt riders (this includes the ‘blue’ woman standing up on the bike, which unfortunately is the lead photo for the parade, and the trio that rode on one bike—a big No No! The Pride Parade Committee can ban the entire contingent from riding in future parades because of stunts like these!). Also we had the police misdirecting bikers at the parking area. On parade day, it is the SFDOBWMC’s responsibility to direct the bikers—not the police. Hopefully, most of you did not notice these glitches. You can help make the Parade run as smooth as possible by abiding by the safety rules that everyone receives with their registration packet, volunteering to be a Road Captain, making sure your club members pre-register and to put their club name on the registration packet. Please check out sfwmc.org/1_events.html for information about riding in the 6th Annual Sistahs Steppin' in Pride! on August 25. Also, my mom will be walking in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life walk on August 25 and she is looking for donations (sfwmc.org/1_events.html). Those of you have ridden in the Parade have probably seen my mom and her “Proud Mom” sign. She has ridden on the back of my bike in the Parade with that sign for the past several years. Since being diagnosed with colon cancer over 8 years ago, she has walked as a cancer survivor in the Relay for Life Walk. My mom lives in a retirement community in Rio Vista, CA, and she keeps walking, although she is getting slower! She is 71 after all. I would appreciate it if you would send a donation to her for the Relay for Life walk. The info on where to send those checks is at sfwmc.org/1_events.html. Speaking of fundraisers, the SFDOBWMC will be doing a fundraising ride in the memory of our Treasurer’s nephew who recently passed away from lymphomia leukemia. The ride will probably be scheduled for September 23. Look for more information here and at sfwmc.org/1_events.html in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, hold that date open. Looks like I will miss the ride because I will be in Tucson, AZ for a one-day regional conference sponsored by the Leather Leadership Conference (LLC). The next full LLC will be held in San Francisco, the weekend of April 11- 13 2008 and I’m on the local organizing committee. Look for more announcements in the coming months. Please check out the website for information at leatherleadership.org/llc12/index.html. On September 30, the SFDOBWMC anticipates staffing the Folsom Street Fair motorcycle parking for the 3rd year in a row. Bike parking is in front of Mr. S Leathers at 385 8th Street and we are looking for volunteers to help staff the booth. We are only asking for an hour of your time and the work is easy. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the SFDOBWMC secretary at secretarysfwmc@aol.com. Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 7.03.07 // vick germany
Also at the party, the officers of the SFDOBWMC (Rose, Soni and I) had an opportunity to present to Chris, of Veritable Vegetable, a plaque thanking her and the company for their support of the SFDOBWMC by providing the helmet truck and driver for many years. The plaque Ali selected was beautiful and it was a privilege to represent the organizing members of the SFDOBWMC in presenting the plaque as a token of our appreciation. The parade would not be the same without the helmet truck caring our gear. On June 24, for the 31st year, the Dykes on Bikes® roared down Market St. to the cheers of the crowd. It is such an incredible thrill to line-up 400+ bikes on Market St., to hear the bike engines rev and horns blare; to see the smiles on such a diverse crowd of dyke (and men/kindred spirits!) faces as we ride down Market St. I hope all of you enjoyed the ride as much as I, and the other organizing members of the SFDOBWMC, did! I want to thank Katie and Ali for setting the pace this year. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped pull off the ride. Many of the volunteers on Parade Day are not organizing members of the SFWMCDOB. They are people who volunteer to help and be a part of something incredible! First, I would like to thank the registration co-chairs Sandy and Sheila and their crew: Cathy, Lisa, Kelly, Karin, Kalena, Tazz, Karen, Lisa, Rene, Kathy, Valerie and Dora. They have the job of checking off names of those who are pre-registered, registering those who did not pre-register and giving everyone the correct line up number that tells the line up crew where they are supposed to be. So, next on my list of ‘thank you’s’ is line up. A big thank you to my line up co-chair, Katie, for not only the work she did lining up the Independents this year, but also for her graphic skills in creating the line up diagram, and in fixing the graphics on the line up instructions. To the line up crew: Jacqueline, Trisha, Laura, Tammy, Julie, Joanne, Jake B., Fiona, Margo, Pat, Max, Mandie, Jake C., Sandy, Jim, Bear (and her crew), Leslie, Hayden, and Liz and Timbyr who laid out the line up this year, my heartfelt gratitude. I especially want to thank Bear for helping me out with the gap between clubs and Independents and for convincing me not to worry! Now that is quite a feat! Next, on my list of ‘thank you’s; are the Road Captains, most of who saw double duty as line up volunteers. Road Captains are the ones who ride along the contingent, ensuring parade rules are followed. In addition, they have to be ready to respond to any emergency that may arise during the ride down Market St. To the Road Captain co-chairs: Lisa F. and Ren, especially Lisa F. for taking on the lion’s share of the role, and for also codifying the responsibilities of Road Captains, thank you. To the Road Captains: Bear, Jake B., Julie, Jim, Max, Djuna, Debi, Marco, Laura, Glenne, Joanne, Leslie, Zach, Timbyr, Margo, Liz, Hayden, Pat, and Cayenne—thank you! Also, thank you to Soni, Eleanor, Calli (who arranged for Fat Chance Belly Dance to dance again this year), Ali and Doris (who sold SFDOBWMC merchandise), and Ann and the helmet truck crew! Also, thank you to Rose and Sonja for driving the car and van, respectively that carried some of the volunteers and gear. I offer my sincerest apologies to those who I may have inadvertently missed. Last, but not least, I want to thank my girlfriend, Laura, for reminding me to breathe, and to my mom for being my buddy once again. For a photo of the three of us, check out sfwmc.org/1_news.html. This photo was taken while a woman who I had spotted trying to get a photo of my mom’s sign through the crowd was taking a photo. I saw this huge camera pointed at us over the woman’s shoulder, but it was Pride and there are cameras everywhere, so I did not pay too much attention. After watching the Parade coverage on KRON later that night, I kept the news on, which I do not usually do, and there was that shot of my mom, my girlfriend and me! Speaking of the KRON coverage, overall, Donna Sachet and Catherine Heenan do a great job. I want to correct one thing they said during the Dykes on Bikes® coverage regarding the ‘Mikes on Bikes’ statement when the men on motorcycles were televised. The men on bikes are part of the SFDOBWMC contingent and not a separate contingent. SFDOBWMC has a long history of inviting our brothers to ride with us on Pride Day. Next year, I’ll provide Donna and Catherine a press release explaining the make up of the contingent so it is clear that the guys are part of the SFDOBWMC contingent. For more photos and videos of the Dykes on Bikes®, check out sfwmc.org/1_pride.html and sfwmc.org/1_news.html. If you have photos that you would like to share, contact Max at info@max-inc.com. There is no SFDOBWMC meeting this July 4. Starting on July 18, the SFDOBWMC will be meeting only on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The meeting location has also changed. We will be meeting at the Castro Country Club in the Castro at 4058 18th St. at 7:30 PM. The meeting will be a debriefing session on the Parade, so if you have any comments or questions, please email them to secretarysfwmc@aol.com Vick
Germany, Message from the President // 6.11.07 // vick germany
Please check out the ‘Pride Parade’ page where you can now fill out a newly revised Pride Parade registration form. You still have to print it out, mail it and a check for $15 to the SFLGBTPCC 1800 Market Street , PMB #5, San Francisco, CA 94102. The deadline for pre-registration is fast approaching, and that date is June 20. So, please send your registration form and check in by that date. There will be opportunities to register the Saturday before at our annual pre-pride parade party (for more info see below and the events page sfwmc.org/1_events.html) and the day off the parade; however, I strongly encourage you to pre-register because it helps the SFDOBWMC tremendously on the day of the parade! On May 12, Ren, Jake, Eleanor, Katie, Soni and I attended the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) 30th Anniversary at Fort Mason. What a party! There were acrobats, dancers, plenty of food and drinks. Katie, her girlfriend Joy and I danced the night away—literally. We closed the place down! If Martina Navratilova ever decides to run for public office, she has my vote! She summed up the LGBT ‘hidden’ agenda succinctly: Equal Rights. Nothing more. Nothing less. Kate Clinton was funny, especially when she worked the crowd for donations by stuffing dollar bills down the front of her shirt and then getting Martina and NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell up on stage doing the same. Well, I didn’t actually see any dollar bills getting stuffed down Martina’s shirt. The NCLR raised some serious money that night, not only from the shirt stuffing but also through the auction. The NCLR has generously donated many hours in our fight to trademark ‘Dykes on Bikes’ and the SFDOBWMC greatly appreciates their work on our behalf. Liz, Max F. and I along with several guys, turned out for the May 13 ICF bike blessing and ride out to Marin County. We met at 10 am for the bike blessing by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and at11:00 am, took off on the ride. We had great weather for it. We headed north on 101 to Rowland Blvd exit, then out to Novato Blvd where we stopped for gas. Then it was out to Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd, Hicks Valley Rd, Wilson Hill Rd, Chileno Valley Rd, Tomales-Petaluma Rd, and then onto Hwy1 heading south. The group stopped for lunch at Tony's in Marshall. After lunch, we went to Point Reyes Station for gas, and then doubled back up Hwy 1 to Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd, to Nicasio Valley Rd, Lucas Valley Rd, to 101 back to SF. Check out Max’s photos at sfwmc.org/1_events.html. On Saturday, May 19, the SFDOBWMC threw our second beer/soda bust at the Eagle Tavern. If you missed this event, you missed some great chicken wings served by the lovely Lisa and Megan. See Max’s photos at sfwmc.org/1_events.html. In addition, we rolled out this year’s t-shirt: "One Spirit, One Tribe, One Ride," designed by SFDOBWMC member Calli. Check out .sfwmc.org/souvenirs_v2_wm/2007_shirt_lg.jpg. We also have ball caps and muscle t-shirts for sale. You can contact our Secretary at secretarysfwmc@aol.com for information on how to purchase any of the souvenirs. On June 2, I lead Leslie P, Lisa (with buddy Megan), Soni, Kate, Max F., and 4 Muses: Margaret, Patty, Carol and Karen on a ride to Santa Cruz for their parade, which was held on Sunday. We took off from Starbucks in the Castro and headed down I-280 to Black Mountain Rd, to Hwy. 92, to Hwy 35 and stopping at the parking lot at the intersection of Hwys. 35/84 in Sky Londa, where Liz joined us. After a short break, I changed the route a bit because of the weather, which was foggy and cool. We headed west on Hwy. 84 to Hwy. 1 and then south to the Pesacdero turn. As we were parking the bikes, a woman and man got out of a SUV and the woman stopped on the sidewalk and said "You're all women" with a slightly shocked look on her face. That was the quote of the weekend! We had a delicious (and warm!) lunch at Duartes'. Calli joined us for lunch, but she and Kate had to head back, but we picked up Dirget (I apologize for the spelling of the name!) and Rose (a buddy). After lunch, we headed to Santa Cruz, going along W. Cliff Dr, with a short stop at the Surfer's Museum. I especially like Max's photo (#738) of some of our group at the fence at the museum stop. There are several photos of a little girl who was totally checking out the bikes (sfwmc.org/1_events.html). Lisa and Megan headed back home, and the group headed to the Riveria Travelodge via the Boardwalk. Patty, Max and I enjoyed a long soak in the Jacuzzi. For dinner, we headed over to the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant for some huge servings of delicious food. After dinner, we made are way over to the Dakota, where Patty, Karen and I ended up dancing for few hours. We had great fun! Max caught some of the action on the dance floor. Sunday morning we were at Zachary's Restaurant for a great breakfast. When we walked in, there were two cute dykes sitting at a window table right next to | ||||||||||||||||||
Message from the President 
I want to thank everyone who came to the SFDOBWMC pre-pride parade party at the Eagle Tavern on Saturday, June 23. In spite of the horrible sound system, Momma ’s Boyz, Twilight Vixen Revue and Anita Cocktail wowed the crowd. It was a wonderful party! I also want to thank the businesses that donated raffle prizes: Mr. S (thanks Skeeter!), SF Giants, Berkeley Honda/Yamaha, Good Vibrations, and Just Leathers of San Jose! Many organizations approach these businesses for donations throughout the year and we are honored they support the SFDOBWMC—a dyke club! Please check out our sponsor’s page 
Happy
Gay Pride Month! Remember when it just used to be one day—parade day!